As Pearl started to come around, she became immensely aware of her surroundings.
Especially the voices about her.

"... Set her on your bed you mule! She's all stiff..."

"Another word miss and it will be your last."

"You cannot threaten me you..."

"Do as the sahib says woman!"

The last voice was more of a growl, in a very weird accent. The voice reminded her of stories of tigers.

"Get her out Karim."

"She is MY CHARGE! You cannot..."

At this moment Pearl decided she had enough.
As she came about, she realised that her head was elevated and kept on a rather hard surface.

As she opened her eyes, her view was obstructed by a rather chiselled jaw, which was clenching at the moment.

I could get used to waking up to this, the thought came unwarranted and with that she sprang up.

Hitting that chiselled jaw by doing so.

"Owww.."

"Nghh.."

Focusing away from the dull throb of her head, she noticed her surrounding.

Mr Ambrose was sitting on the ground, with a rather red faced Sally kneeling beside him. By the door was a sabered giant. But that was least of her worries.

She had just realised that she was lying with her head on her employer's lap. That made her a tiny bit frazzled.

But, she concentrated on the reason of sudden loss of consciousness.

"Mr. Ambrose did you say..."

A sharp glare was all it took for Pearl to shut up real quick. Sally looked at them gaping.

"You fainted Pearl! Fainted!! What did this son of a gun do to you? Tell me and I'll gather the girls and make him pay..."

"You see Ms. Hayes is perfectly all right, so Karim escort Ms. Sally out the door."

As Karim tried to drag Sally out gently, well as gently as he was capable , Pearl tried to mend matters.

"Sally I'm alright now! As you see, he did nothing of any bad sorts, it was just usual. I'm fine now, go! No need to tell Madame okay? I'm fine..."

She repeated this until Sally's voice was muffled by the door.

"Ms. Hayes did I not warn you not to speak of my business in front of others?"
The Arctic voice made her gulp as she turned. Mr. Ambrose was standing just behind her, much too close for comfort.

"But Mr Ambrose I didn't! I wasn't going to..."

"Enough! Now, to business."
As an afterthought he added, rather hesitantly

"Are you all right? Why did you faint?"

After a moment she decided to go for the truth. He didn't seem the kind to digest lies well anyway.

"Did you say you were to meet Mr Kingsley tomorrow?"

Her nightmares were realised when he gave a curt nod.

She took a deep breath as she began to explain.
"I'm sorry Mr. Ambrose, but you'll need a new... Whatever I am. I cannot go with you."

His  why was evident in his face.

She decided, she couldn't. Not now, not ever.

With a tiny I'm sorry, she began to leave.

A warm but hard hand came down on her wrist, making her escape impossible.

"Tell me."

..........

"Why? You don't need me, I don't owe you so I don't need to stay. In fact I should be running away!! You're.... You're dangerous... I need to get away!"

Pearl could feel hysteria rising at her throat.

He dragged her to the bed and made her sit down. Pearl winced a bit, now realising why he had laid her on the ground.

As the minutes passed by and she calmed down, Pearl realised the man was waiting for her explanation. He just won't give up, she sighed. In the three days she had known him Pearl knew that much.

"Ms. Hayes you're wasting valuable moonlight. Tell me why you refuse to work anymore, right now!"

"Why?"

"You do not get to ask that, I am your employer, and you will tell me. Now!"

Realising the futility of the conversation, Pearl decide to tell him.
As dangerous as Mr Kingsley was, perhaps having Mr Ambrose as an ally would be of benefit.

So she told him her story.

Of her birth, her halfbreed status, her mother's condition and her Father's death.

At the hands of Mr Kingsley.

*****

Pearl's mother was a white woman, who made the mistake of falling in love with a slave. The truth was simple.

She was a servant in the household of the Kingsleys, who had rejected the advances of her master and ran away with a recently freed slave.

Her father belonged to the gentleman who owned the farm beside Kingsley's. At his death, the slaves were freed and provided something to live on. Thus her gained his independence and a piece of land to support him and his wife.

The Union had been the talk of the town.

Yet as all good things end, the happy couple with their child met the inevitable end with Pearl's father being accused of theft and being shot in front of the entire farm. In front of 8 year old pearl.

After all, Mr Kingsley was not someone to be spurned.

*****

After a moment's silence, Ambrose returned to his seat by the table.
Pearl sat there for a moment, thinking. The sun was already up and she was free to go.

Should she ask for her dismissal or was it implied?

She had just decided to get out quietly when he spoke again.

"I know that working for me will seem more dangerous and tiring now more than ever, but I assure you Ms. Hayes, you will have your revenge."

As he turned, Pearl could see a fire smouldering in his stormy eyes, a rare sight for the expressionless man.

He went on.

"I had known of his illegal working and his hand in the slave trade, I am here to confirm the hunch... Mr. Kingsley is suspected to be a double dealer, and if that is confirmed, his conditions will be... Less than pleasant.

If the case stands you will have your revenge. If not, no harm. You may go. Return before sunset."

With that he resumed his work, not giving Pearl the opportunity to say that she did not in fact want revenge.

*****

Chapter 4, after a long hiatus.

P.s the book is a novella of sorts, thus it'll end in 10-12 chapters.